Table of Contents

Oral Contraceptive Use Along the US-Mexico Border (ICPSR 34500)

Principal Investigator(s):Potter, Joseph E., University of Texas-Austen. Population Research Center

Summary:

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are one of the most effective, safe, and widely-used contraceptive methods available to women worldwide. The United States differs from many other countries in that women still need a healthcare provider's prescription, often requiring an examination, to purchase OCs. Policy debate about the prescription requirement has focused on whether women could safely and effectively use oral contraceptives without mandatory contact with a healthcare provider. This project e... (more info)

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are one of the most effective, safe, and widely-used contraceptive methods available to women worldwide. The United States differs from many other countries in that women still need a healthcare provider's prescription, often requiring an examination, to purchase OCs. Policy debate about the prescription requirement has focused on whether women could safely and effectively use oral contraceptives without mandatory contact with a healthcare provider. This project explored the following questions: whether women can screen themselves for contraindications; the degree to which the prescription requirement dissuades OC candidates from starting or continuing OC use; and whether written and other forms of information are an effective substitute or improvement on clinician contact. The study was fielded along the heavily traversed US-Mexico border separating Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas. This setting provided a unique "natural experiment" environment in which to address these questions due to the fact that El Paso residents can, and frequently do, cross the border to purchase OCs in Mexican pharmacies, where prescriptions are not required.

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Study Description

Funding

This study was funded by:

United States Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development